Chrysostom
Beloved
It is good indeed to lift up praise and thanksgiving, for the mouth that is filled with blessing and the eye that is calm and gentle reveal a soul that clings not to covetousness. Yet consider that all protection and every earthly blessing are not the work of our hands but the command of God; the earth itself receives blessing from Him. So give thanks, but let your mind ascend higher. The true blessing is not carnal, like those promised under Moses, but spiritual: you have been made a son, a fellow-heir with Christ, and these things are eternal. Whether He grants outward safety or permits trials, in either condition we are bound to Him and ought to send up thanksgiving without ceasing. For this posture of gratitude is itself a fruit of the Gospel, part of that fulness of blessing which surpasses all temporal gifts and keeps the soul ready for the age to come.
